Stuttgart teen arrested for DWI, hit and run Tuesday

According to the Stuttgart Police Department, officers responded to the area at 11:04 p.m. and found a 1998 GMC in a ditch after the driver left the roadway and struck a fire hydrant.

Leigh Hahn-Kreimeier @SDL_Leigh

An 18-year-old Stuttgart man is facing two misdemeanor charges after wrecking his vehicle and hitting a fire hydrant in the 2100 block of Strait Place Tuesday.

According to the Stuttgart Police Department, officers responded to the area at 11:04 p.m. and found a 1998 GMC in a ditch after the driver left the roadway and struck a fire hydrant. The driver was sitting in the driver seat.

“He stated that someone had put window chalk on his windshield and he couldn't see through it,” SPD Ptl. William Basore wrote in his incident report that was released Wednesday. The driver told the officer he did not need medical attention, and Basore then smelled what he thought was alcohol. The man first denied drinking.

The Stuttgart Fire Department was called to the scene because the impact caused the fire hydrant lean. Additional officers were called to the scene including SPD Ptl. Luke Bethell, who asked the driver a second time if he had been drinking.

“He then admitted that he had some beer,” Bethell said.

The officer gave the man three field sobriety tests. The driver gave clues on each test that indicated he had been drinking, and he was transported to the Stuttgart Police Department where he was given a Breathalyzer test. The final result was .10, which is over the legal Arkansas limit of .08.

The man was placed under arrest for Driving While Intoxicated and signal 9/10 hit and run or private property damage.